


If You Try Sometimes

by haldoor



Category: Lost
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Denial, Flirting, M/M, Pretty freeloader, Snark, Tropes, bare mentions of Charlie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-11
Updated: 2014-01-11
Packaged: 2018-01-08 08:23:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1130429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haldoor/pseuds/haldoor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><b>Warnings/Spoilers:</b> None for the show<br/><b>Disclaimer:</b> Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do! (I don't own any of it, nor do I make any money!) Oh, and I doubt Jack & Sawyer ever roomed together away from the island.<br/><b>Beta:</b> Only me, myself and I, I'm afraid.  Let me know if I really screwed up<br/><b>Summary:</b> Jack, Sawyer and Claire (and Aaron) share an apartment as the guys attend college.  Boone is a stray that Jack brings home, and Sayid is a 'friend' of Sawyer's. Charlie is mentioned in passing.<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	If You Try Sometimes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ThatwasJustaDream](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatwasJustaDream/gifts).



> Written for a Trope challenge at [](http://1-million-words.livejournal.com/profile)[**1_million_words**](http://1-million-words.livejournal.com/): _[The Pretty Freeloader](http://1-million-words.livejournal.com/456915.html#cutid1) _. I didn't delve into it too deeply, but this is where the muse took me. Title from the Rolling Stones' song 'You Can't Always Get What You Want'.

"Who drank all the juice?" Sawyer walked out of the kitchen shaking the empty juice bottle. "Not only drank it all, but also put the bottle back in the fridge." He gazed speculatively at Boone watching TV, draped artfully across the couch, before frowning at Jack.

"He's still growing." Jack's voice came from the only other chair in their scummy apartment, and his expression said Boone's looks were reason enough to allow the transgression.

"Puh-lease," Sawyer huffed, "He may be pretty to look at, but he better suck dick as well as he slurps orange juice, or _you_ are not getting your money's worth, Doc."

"Sawyer!" Their other roommate, Jack's sister Claire, clapped her hands over her toddler's ears. "Aaron doesn't need to hear that kind of language."

"What? The kid's not even listening." Sawyer offered her an incredulous look as he gestured at the kid, who was chewing on something and paying no attention to the adults. He didn't even seem perturbed by his mother covering his ears. "Besides, he doesn't know what I'm even talkin' about."

Sawyer pulled a face as Claire took her hands away from Aaron's ears, and then turned back towards Jack, who was watching Boone with an avid look, as though he was doing something incredibly interesting rather than just watching TV.

Sawyer followed his line of sight. The kid was scratching his smooth white belly where it showed in between his low slung jeans and the short tank top he wore. Boone had ignored the whole conversation going on around him in favour of whatever mindless drivel he was watching. On _Sawyer's_ TV that he never got to watch himself, because Jack's too-pretty obsession needed cheering up after his sister got shot.

Not that Jack had been listening to Sawyer either – he was too busy ogling his boy-toy.

Sawyer rolled his eyes and returned to the kitchen, muttering, "You'd think he was God's gift to mankind, not just some pretty little tramp you picked up at the hospital you volunteer at."

"I heard that!" Jack said, following him into the kitchen. "Look, I'll find him an apartment as soon as he gets a job. And he is _not_ a tramp. He just lost his sister, and he had nowhere else to go. I told you how his mother kicked him out. Was I supposed to let him sleep on the streets?"

Sawyer snorted as he threw the empty juice bottle in the trash. "Oh, I'm sure he wouldn't have been _sleeping_ on them for long."

Jack drew his brows together angrily. "What's _that_ supposed to mean, exactly?"

Sawyer shook his head and just offered Jack a look.

"Oh, like your boyfriend's a more desirable type?"

"Excuse me?" Sawyer had moved to open a cupboard to look for coffee, but Jack's words made him spin around so fast that his long hair whipped his face. "Are you referring to my _friend_ , Sayid? Because if you are, then I need to set you straight on a couple of things. One: he's not my boyfriend, and two: he's nowhere near the freeloader that Porcelain out there is." He hooked a thumb in the general direction of the living room.

Jack held up his hands in defeat. "Okay, fine; Sayid's not your _boyfriend_ , although I swear the noises I hear coming from your room every time he's here makes me think otherwise. That aside, explain to me why it is he's allowed to drink the last of the coffee _and_ take even longer showers than you, so that we run out of hot water? Why's he even taking showers here anyway?"

Sawyer tried to ignore the crack about the noises and turned back to find cups for the coffee. He managed to keep his voice under control as he said, "He's teaching me self defence. We get sweaty. He has longer hair than mine _and_ it's curly. It just takes longer to wash than your buzz-cut ever will. And I told you, his crack-head roomie Charlie broke the shower one night after he and his band got more stoned than usual."

Jack ran a hand over said buzz-cut and shook his head. "Why doesn't he move out, then? He spends more time here anyway."

Sawyer was sure he probably looked as scared at the idea of having Sayid move in permanently as he felt. He liked the guy well enough – he was the hottest piece of ass Sawyer had been with all year – but him, _live_ with a guy? Sawyer valued his freedom and sharing space with another guy was akin to marrying as far as he was concerned. No way!

Instead of voicing any of that though, he handed Jack a cup of the coffee he'd just poured, and sat down at the kitchen table. Changing the subject was way safer than answering Jack's question."So what kind of job is pretty-boy looking for? Maybe I can find him something at Knott's."

Sawyer had a part-time gig at Knott's Berry Farm to help pay his way through college, unlike Jack, who had a daddy to pay for all that, as well as enough to pay for Jack's illegitimate half-sister and her unexpected bundle of joy to crash with them. That way Jack's Mom wouldn't have to stare at the reminder of her husband's infidelity over the kitchen table every morning.

"Your daddy know how much of your college fund you've been spending on him?" Sawyer tilted his head in the direction of the living room, and sipped from his coffee.

Jack had taken the seat opposite Sawyer's, and was blowing at the surface of his drink, both hands wrapped around the hot cup. He looked up, his eyes serious. "No, and I'm not about to tell him. He thinks it's for Claire and Aaron."

Sawyer laughed, then took another sip. "Still haven't 'fessed up to Mommy and Daddy that you like dick?"

"Jesus, Sawyer, do you always have to be so crude?"

The pained expression on Jack's face made Sawyer laugh harder. "You need some help with the speech? Maybe next time he calls I could-"

Jack cut him off. "Don't you dare!"

Sawyer waggled his eyebrows as he smirked at Jack."What's it worth to you if I keep it quiet?"

Jack rolled his eyes and looked away for a moment. When he turned back, he let out a resigned sigh. "Sayid can come over here for showers as often as he likes."

"And no more cracks about the sounds coming from my room?" Sawyer liked it when Sayid got vocal; he didn't want to have to stifle the man's throaty voice while he spewed filthy words and groaned sexily under Sawyer's ministrations, even if the idea of gagging him did have some appeal...

"No more cracks: I promise. Just... you gotta leave Boone alone too."

Sawyer licked his lips salaciously. "So... tell me all about what he looks like when he's on his hands and knees in front of you, and it's a deal."

Jack looked less than thrilled at the idea, but he met Sawyer's outstretched hand with his own. He obviously knew when he was beaten.

~//~


End file.
